There once lived a sickly young girl in a quiet village. She was so frail that people often whispered she was “at death’s door.” Every day she struggled with weakness, while her worried mother tried her best to care for her.
Next door lived an old widow, bent with age and years of hardship. She had little strength left herself, yet her heart was full of compassion. Whenever she saw the poor girl, her eyes would well up with tears. She would shake her head and murmur softly, “Oh God, why do you torment this innocent child? If you must take a life, take mine instead. I am old and weary—let her live.”
Her prayer became a daily ritual, a whispered offering to the heavens.
One evening, something strange happened in the village. A bull, searching for food, thrust its head into a large black pot to reach the grains at the bottom. But once its head was inside, it couldn’t pull it back out. Blinded and terrified, the bull began to run wildly through the streets. Its hooves thundered on the ground as it dashed here and there, unable to see, scattering people in fear.
That very moment, the old widow stepped out of her neighbor’s house. As always, she was muttering her sorrowful prayer: “Take my life instead of the girl’s.” Suddenly, she heard the chaos—the heavy steps of a beast rushing toward her. When she looked up, she saw what seemed to be a headless monster charging straight at her, the pot still covering the bull’s face.
Her heart froze. Her legs trembled. She thought it was no ordinary bull but Yama, the God of Death, himself, come to answer her prayer.
She fell to her knees, crying out in terror:
“Mercy, O Lord! Mercy! Spare me! Take the sickly girl instead… she is waiting for you!”
The neighbors who watched were shaken—not only by the sight of the bull but by the widow’s desperate words. For all her compassion, in the face of death, her heart clung to life.
This little story, though simple, carries a profound truth about human nature. We may speak of sacrifice and even believe we are ready for it. But when death suddenly stands before us, raw fear strips away pretense and reveals our deepest instinct: the longing to live.
The widow’s prayer was not false—it came from a place of love. Yet when confronted by the shadow of death, her plea turned toward survival. It reminds us that true courage is not easy, and that compassion, though powerful, can still tremble when tested.
✨ Reflection for Modern Readers:
This tale mirrors our own contradictions. We want to protect those we love, we speak of selflessness, yet we also fear losing our own lives. It’s not weakness—it’s what makes us human. Stories like these remind us that while fear is natural, love and compassion still shape our actions in unexpected ways.
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